‘Fertile area in a desert’ NYT Mini Crossword clue answer and hints

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Picture showing the cover for 'Fertile area in a desert' clue in NYT Mini Crossword.
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Have you ever got lost in a scorching hot desert? I haven’t. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out you would need a good water supply in your backpack to survive the harsh climate.
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue, “Fertile area in a desert,” talks about another way of getting water and food in the desert. 

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‘Fertile area in a desert’ NYT Aug. 23 Mini Crossword hints and answer

Picture showing the Fertile area in a desert clue in NYT Mini Crossword.
You can grow crops in a desert? Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Hint 1: Nomads sigh with relief when they spot this place in the desert.
  • Hint 2: The five-letter word is similar to Osiris, the Egyptian god of the deceased.
  • Hint 3: It starts with the letter “O.”
  • Hint 4: An anagram for the solution is “SISOA”

And that’s your time. Here comes the answer. 

Did you get it? The answer to one across down in the Aug. 23 New York Times Mini Crossword is “OASIS.” While deserts have highly barren lands unsuitable for cultivation, the Oasis is a place with water, wildlife, and date trees, helping nomadic civilizations make it their settlement and sustain themselves to beat the heat of the deserts.

DID YOU KNOW?

Oases attract a variety of wildlife, including migratory birds, insects, and mammals. They often serve as key stopovers for birds on long migrations.

‘Fertile area in a desert’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

Fertility and deserts never go hand in hand. Some plants and species have adapted themselves through evolution to survive the harsh climate. However, in some places, the groundwater seeps into the ground, forming an Oasis and making the area around it fertile. It shouldn’t take anybody with a little knowledge of basic ecology long to get the answer, so I give this clue a two out of five for difficulty.

NYT Mini Crossword (Aug. 23) answers

Are you stuck with the other clues in today’s NYT Mini Crossword? Here are some hints and answers to clues like “Actress Ana of Ugly Betty” and “Do, re, mi, fa.”

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

Love playing word games like the NYT Mini Crossword? Then you can also try out the LA Times and the Washington Post crosswords. Strands and Spelling Bee should be your go-to options if you’re in the mood for something different.

Author
Image of Rijit Banerjee
Rijit Banerjee
Staff Writer at Dot Esports. You'll find him grinding platinum trophies and breaking the meta with his "fun" picks in the ranked queue when he's not reading his favourite Fantasy books. Previously wrote for GG Recon, ESTNN, and many more. Contact: rijit@dotesports.com